Sixty farmers from Southern Ukraine met from March 5th to 9th in Krynychky, 100 kms from Dnepropetrovsk, to address factors that limit agricultural production in their country. Their presence was a sign of their wish to share responsibility for these issues within their country and beyond its borders. The Dialogue was arranged by Misha Marinichenko, manager of a farming business, which was previously a Collective farm, Pieter Mtvie, Independent farmer and chairman of the Krynychky district Farmers Association, and Mykhailyna Skoryk an agricultural journalist based in Kiev.

Discussions ranged over land ownership, farm finance, marketing and cooperation. A theme to appear was the need for honesty and trust to make agreements work. Visits were made to mushroom, pig rearing, and malting enterprises.

Thomas Hazouard from France gave an account of how French farmers cooperate to share machinery, gain credit from financial institutions and to market their products. Representatives from Poland and UK enlivened the debate.

As the Dialogue ended a number of delegates expressed great interest in the location of the next Dialogue within and outside Ukraine.

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